Improved water-proof fabric



dilated States THOMAS M. DROWN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO W. A. DROWN, OF SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent N 99,171, dated J anuary 25, 1870.

IMPROVED WATER-PROOF FABRIC.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS M. DROWN, of Phil-- adelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in \Vater-Proof Fabrics; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention consists of cloth, silk, or other-textile fabric or paper, treated with spermaceti, in the mam ner fully described hereafter, for the purpose of rendering it water-proof.

There are several methods of preparing and of applying the spermaceti; it may, for instance, be simply dissolved innaplitha, benzine,-alco hol, ether, or other volatile solvent, through which the cloth or other fabric to be prepared is passed, in a manner similar to that employed in dyeing.

Anot-her method is to melt the spermaceti in boiling water, which has been previously thickened by the addition of gelatine, gum, starch, dextrine, gluten, sugar, soap, or glyccrine, and to thoroughly mix and hold the spermaceti in suspension in'this water, by constant agitation, maintained by a current of steam or otherwise.

Paper or cloth, treated with spermaceti, prepared,

Silks are treated with the volatile solution, as water would be apt to stain them, and after being thus treated, they possess theabove properties, and the additional advantage, over unprepared silks, that they are not liable to be spotted or stained by water.

In preparing silks and fine fabrics, care should be taken that the benzine or other solventshall leave no odor or residue, and the spermaceti should also be carefully refined, so that it may not attract moisture from the atmosphere.

I am aware that spermaceti has been combined with pitch, lit-barge, and similar snbstauces,to form coatingcompositions, but it will be apparent that silk or other fabric, coated with such a preparation, would be impaired in its appearance and rendered unserviceable, a result which does not follow when the material is treated with spermaceti, as above described.

Claim. Afabric rendered water-proof by the application of spermaoeti, as set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing 

